High Hopes
by Firefly78
Summary: After running away from their camp and their tyrannical leader, Haley and her younger brother Beckett stumble upon the saviors. Negan is intrigued yet suspicious of his new guest.
1. Chapter 1

Tying the holster belt around her little brother Beckett's waist and placing extra magazines in place, Haley said, "You remember how to replace your magazine right?" Pointing to the release button Beck replied, "Yes, I press this, replace the magazine and cock the slide back to make sure there's a round in the chamber. We've practiced this a thousand times, Haley. It'll be fine."

Beckett had been on plenty of runs with her before, but this time they were going on a reconnaissance mission. Haley had been keeping an eye on a group of survivors near Annapolis that she was considering joining, though they weren't nearly as far south as she'd like to be. Haley and Beckett had been on the run since escaping their former home, The Shield, and its tyrannical ruler Cole. Haley thought back to their time there and how much work they'd put into rebuilding some semblance of civilization - the expansive, immaculate rows of crops, the well kept dormitories, the school system set up for the kids, and the towering walls that kept them all safe. Cole, their leader, however, had become increasingly more unstable and cruel, and Haley and Beck had barely escaped with their lives.

"We'll be okay. We'll find somewhere else to start over and rebuild. We're alive now, and that's what matters," she thought to herself.

Shaking her head as if to clear her head of those thoughts, she started gathering necessities in preparation for their run. Throwing water, ammo, and some granola bars into a backpack, they made their way down the long hall passing several double doors leading to theatres. Passing the arcade area, Beck hopped over the concession counter and grabbed a snickers bar and gummy bears. "Just in case we're out longer than expected," he said with a grin. Haley smiled back and waved him down the stairs. The raspy snarls of the undead could be heard before they even exited through the back doors of the movie theatre. The entire strip mall that contained the movie theatre was overrun with walkers, but Haley had found a way to maneuver around them. "And now for the gross part," she said while grabbing their filthy, old clothes hanging from the protective concrete bollards. Switching out of their clean clothes into their walker garb and rubbing fresh walker guts onto their clothes, Haley stuffed their clean clothes into their packs.

"This is seriously the grossest thing in the world," Beckett said scrunching his nose in disgust.

"I know, but keeping the walkers around deters unwanted humans from raiding this place. You ready?" Haley asked already unlatching the gate leading to the woods.

"Ready," he declared.

They zombie-walked their way out of the theatre parking lot and into the woods where they changed into their clean clothes. Haley threw her dark, chestnut locks up into a messy bun and re-laced her boots. Leaving their dirty wardrobe behind, they ventured deeper into the woods towards their destination.

* * *

Passing a clearing in the woods, Haley recognized it as the landmark signifying that they were close to the Annapolis camp.

"Know what this reminds me of?" Beck said.

"What?"

"Woodland Park, that wilderness park that had a kid's playground in the clearing."

"Oh yeah, I totally forgot about that place," she responded.

"Too bad it closed down. It might've actually survived the end of the world," he remarked.

"What? It never closed," Haley protested.

"Yeah, I asked to go last summer, and Dad told me MAWP shut it down," he countered.

"MAWP?"

"Mothers Against Woodland Park," he stated matter of factly.

Erupting into laughter, Haley said, "That's not a real thing. Dad told you that so he didn't have to take you there."

"No, it is a real thing. MAWP shut them down bec-"

Beck was interrupted in his counter argument by the sound of two men arguing. Haley put her finger to her lips and unsheathed her knife.

Stepping into the clearing, a tall blond man sporting a sinister smile queried, "Well, what's a little lady like yourself doing walking around the forest with only this little Boy Scout for protection?"

The blond's partner made himself visible, a large, portly man armed with an impressive knife and a rifle. Haley knew despite being armed themselves that she and Beck were the underdogs in this fight and wracked her brain for an escape plan.

"We're just trying to survive, same as you," she replied stepping in front of her little brother in a defensive stance.

"Well, I'm Brandon, and this here is Ryan," the blond man replied.

Trying to stay calm, Haley stated, "Okay. We're just going to leave now." She put her hand behind her and stepped backwards, urging Beck to follow her lead.

"Hey now, don't be rude. We introduced ourselves. Now it's your turn. 'Sides, you got something I want, and you ain't going nowhere till I get it," Brandon taunted while taking a predatory step towards her.

It took everything in her not to run but the shiny revolver glinting off the sunlight warned her like a neon flashing "danger" sign.

"Come on man, just let them go," Ryan, the beefy partner said interrupting their silent standoff.

As Haley flicked her eyes to Ryan, Brandon lunged forward, grabbing her and discarding her knife. Twisting her around and locking her beneath his arm, he croaked, "I got you where I want you now."

Before Haley could even bring her knee up to his groin, a loud shot rang out piercing the silent forest sending birds flying and forest creatures scattering.

Before she could locate the source of the sound, Haley realized that Brandon's limp body was now leaning its weight on her. She pushed him off, noticing a whole in his forehead as he fell to the ground. Spinning around, she saw Beck standing there, gun raised. Ryan stood maybe thirty feet from them, utter shock apparent on his face.

"Don't move," she warned.

He nodded slowly.

"Beck, keep your gun aimed on him," she instructed as she made her way to Ryan to disarm him of his weapons.

After only a few short steps, she heard heavy footfalls and shouts making their way to the clearing, and before she could turn to run, several men appeared at the edge of the forest.

"What the fuck happened?" a dark haired, tall man demanded as he took in the scene.

"Simon," Ryan rasped out breathlessly, still reeling from the shock of the whole incident. "Brandon was trying to take them," he said pointing to Haley and Negan.

"We just want to leave. No one has to get hurt," Haley interjected before Ryan relayed his version of events.

"Hurt?" Simon scoffed in disbelief. "You just killed a man."

"Who intended to rape me," she responded angrily.

Nodding his head, Ryan confirmed, "It's true. The kid was defending her."

"Fuck," Simon frustratingly wiped his hand down his face while taking a moment to contemplate things. Nodding towards the sibling pair, he commanded, "Take them. Negan's orders that we round up the crew in this area. She's probably with the camp of people we just recruited."

"We're not with anyone. We're alone," she argued.

Ignoring her protests, he jerked his head to a few of his men who began to make their way towards them.

"Lower the weapon, kid. You're outmanned," Simon ordered.

Haley nodded knowing this battle was lost but that their lives weren't in immediate danger at the moment since they were being taken to "The Sanctuary," whatever that was.

Laying his weapons on the ground, Beck and Haley surrendered, but that didn't stop the men from restraining their wrists wth rope and roughly shoving them towards the forest's border.

"It's okay," Haley whispered to her brother, her blue eyes boring into his brown ones, desperately trying to convey a sense of calm and control despite feeling the exact opposite.

* * *

Haley and Beckett sat in the back of a moving van with several people from the Annapolis camp that Haley recognized from her time spent spying on them. No one spoke, probably due to the presence of the saviors, a band of renegade soldiers who were extremely proficient at killing walkers and capturing survivors as Haley had so recently learned. She had no idea what these saviors had planned for all of them, but how bad could a place called The Sanctuary be? " _A sanctuary that houses rapists_ ," she reminded herself thinking back to their encounter with Brandon.

The van slowed to a halt while she could hear muffled voices outside. The clanking of metal signified a gate opening, and the van lurched forward causing its occupants to sway unsteadily. Coming to a complete stop, the backdoor was thrown open plunging them into daylight. Haley caught the eye of a mousy haired girl and gave her a small smile, which the girl returned.

"Welcome to The Sanctuary," the mustachioed man called Simon announced. "This here is Tim, and he will explain the rules of The Sanctuary and tell you what's expected of you," he said motioning toward a short, stocky man wearing a Ramones t-shirt.

Filing out of the van, Tim removed everyone's restraints and instructed anyone with a backpack to leave them lined up along the edge of the building they were about to enter.

Beck looked to Haley for instructions and she nodded to leave their backpacks along with the others. Being free from the confines of the van, Haley was now able to take in all of the Sanctuary. The compound was huge and surrounded by a towering brick fence complete with manned guard posts. She couldn't see the gate they'd come through from where they were standing, but to the south were several massive buildings. Some looked like abandoned factories while others just seemed like empty warehouses. The building she was currently standing in front of was a large, seven story building, its steel gray exterior casting a foreboding presence against the sunny, Spring sky.

The group followed Tim into the industrial building as he led them on a tour of the place. Haley tuned him out as she took in her surroundings. The building was stuffy despite the open windows, and there was no electricity and no running water. The dining area was on the third floor; several long tables were arranged in eight rows accented with benches and a random assortment of plastic chairs. Residents bustled around carrying trays of small portions of randomly assorted food. Making their way to the next floor, Tim instructed them that the remaining four floors were dorms. Floors four and five housed residents. The sixth floor housed high ranking saviors, and the seventh floor was where Negan and a select few saviors lived.

"The seventh floor is forbidden unless given permission by Negan or one of his lieutenants," Tim instructed the group. They reached the end of the hallway on the fourth floor where they were shown their new living quarters. It was a spacious room with dozens of bunk beds stacked around the room.

"You're free to choose your own bunks. At this point, I'm going to have anyone with younger kids have them go with Carla to the river to bathe."

A pretty Hispanic woman gave a slight wave. A young boy around Beck's age stood next to her, and Haley beckoned him toward the woman.

As the younger ones made their way out of the room, Tim droned on about the point system, and the available jobs and areas of work at the Sanctuary. After informing them that someone would be by the next day to assign them jobs, he left them to their own devices. Haley claimed a bunk near the corner of the room with a window and sat down on the bottom bunk taking in her surroundings. Soon a man called Robert entered the dorm holding several backpacks and announced that they had been searched and relieved of weapons and medicine but all their other belongings were theirs to keep. Haley searched through the mosh pit of bags and grabbed hers and Beck's from the pile.

"Hi, I'm Annie," the mousy haired girl she recognized from the van introduced herself.

"Haley," she responded with a little half wave.

"Wonder what we're supposed to do now," Annie wondered aloud.

"I have no idea," Haley responded feeling just as lost.

"I think I'm going to go to the river to bathe too. I have some travel size shampoo and soap if you need it."

"Sure, thanks," Haley said feeling grateful.

This place was not nearly as luxurious as The Shield. No electricity, no running water, bare beds with no sheets or pillows, and very basic necessities. " _But there are people here. Lots of people. And there's a fence to keep out the walkers. There's a community here. We're safe here for now_ ," she reminded herself.

* * *

Negan climbed the final flight of stairs to his seventh floor apartment. He was exhausted; they'd been out on a supply run all day. He'd hoped Simon and his crew had had better luck than he'd had. No sooner than he'd thought the man's name did he enter the office area of Negan's apartment.

"How'd it go?" Negan asked while pulling off his boots.

"Not much in the way of food or medicine, but we did find a ton of ammo in a small camp outside of Annapolis. We took the whole camp with us; they're mostly all soldiers, a few with family members but not many."

Negan looked pleased with this information.

"Good, that's good," he said dragging a hand over his beard, deep in thought. "We really need fucking food, like yesterday," Negan said thinking out loud, the stress evident in his voice.

"I know," Simon responded hesitantly but paused like he had something else to say.

"What is it?" Negan demanded.

"We lost a man today," Simon relayed.

"Who?"

"Brandon."

"Fuck him. Creepy fucking guy anyway. Walker get him?" Negan queried.

"No, shot in the face by a kid believe it or not."

That revelation caught Negan's attention.

"No shit?"

"Yep," Simon confirmed. "Kid looked to be twelve or thirteen. He was defending the girl he was with, couldn't have been his mom. She looked like a college kid so more than likely not her kid. Brandon made a move to rape her, kid blew his dome off. Ryan confirmed their story."

"Damn, I gotta meet this little psychopath," Negan laughed.

"Tim is getting them acclimated now." Switching gears, Simon suggested, "I was thinking we could go out further tomorrow. There's a Costco about fifty miles from here. It's gotta be worth a shot, right?" Simon suggested.

"Yeah, were running out of options at this point," Negan confided in his right hand man. "I need to get cleaned up, and we'll regroup in the morning," he said.

"Sure thing, boss," Simon said as he made his way out of the room.

* * *

Negan stood at the river's edge and began undressing. He longed to crawl into his bed and finally relax after this trying day. He was beyond stressed with seemingly no solutions to his mounting problems. Being leader wasn't all it was cracked up to be. He had high hopes for building a grand community and being a trailblazer in creating the new world, but his group seemed to be in a constant state of struggle. He was having a hard time trying to feed his people, enemies -undead and alive- alike posed threats at every turn, and supplies in general were getting harder to come by. He knew they needed to start producing and stop scavenging, but there were few here capable of even starting such a colossal project.

A splash in the far distance broke him out of his reverie. A woman surfaced from the water stepping onto higher ground but still knee length deep in the water. Her silhouette was framed by the setting sun. She rang her hair out and twisted it up into a bun, and then ran her hands down her body in an attempt to rid herself of excess water, but Negan found it so sensual that he stood transfixed to the spot. As nightfall rapidly fell, he admired the curve of her ass and the swell of her breast in the dim light as she quickly dressed under a tree.

" _Wow_ ," he thought to himself, " _who the fuck is that_?"

He would discover the identity of the mystery woman soon enough, and he'd soon learn that she held solutions to many of the problems currently plaguing him.


	2. Chapter 2

I heard he was executed for letting one of Negan's men die," Tory, one of Haley and Beck's bunkmates gossiped to another girl.

"No, I heard Jiro say that Dr. Glasner was killed for failing to diagnose the flu that took out thirty of our people practically overnight," another resident argued.

It was early in the morning and everyone was getting dressed and ready to report to their jobs and enjoying a bit of gossip in the process.

"Stupid decision if you ask me," Bradley threw in his two cents. "What are we supposed to do for a doctor now?"

"We still have Primo and Carla," Tory pointed out.

"Primo is a military medic, and Carla is a nurse," Bradley argued.

"Hey now!" Carla butted in. "I didn't hear you complaining about me being just a nurse when I stitched you up after your last scuffle."

Bradley threw his hands up in surrender, "Forgive me, my Latina princess," he groveled while bowing dramatically.

Carla laughed and smacked him playfully with a shoe, adding, "I don't believe Negan would've killed off our only doctor for a misdiagnosis. I mean he's temperamental, yeah, but he wouldn't off his main doctor. He's trying to rebuild things here, and he's not that fucking stupid."

"Ugh! You always take up for Negan," Tory jabbed at her playfully. "He may not be that stupid, but he is that volatile. Either way, if I was a doctor, I wouldn't offer that information up willingly. It's too much responsibility, and who knows what the consequences could be for a misstep?" she added.

Negan. It was the name out of the mouths of the first saviors she'd met, and since her stay here, she'd heard many tales about the man. Some people regarded him in awe, some in disgust, but most everyone here respected the man. From what she'd learned, he was a violent, complicated man with a mercurial nature who carried around a bat named Lucille to enforce his violent regime. Carla seemed to have a soft spot for the man since he'd saved her and her son even if she didn't agree with his ways. All this talk about this man, and Haley still hadn't met him. He was beginning to seem like some elusive legend that she'd never cross paths with. And if she were being honest with herself, maybe she didn't want to.

* * *

Haley and Beck finished their morning routine and made their way down to the gardens. They had been at The Sanctuary for nearly two weeks. Haley had been assigned to the gardens, and Beck joined her most days having been deemed too young for any available jobs making Haley the sole point earner. She learned quickly that points were difficult to earn and those who worked in the gardens didn't earn much. Haley only earned enough to feed one of them, and this predicament left her concocting a wild plan.

"The food here sucks so bad. This is the worst community we could've chosen to join," Beck complained as he pulled weeds from the garden.

She couldn't blame him for being grumpy. It had been a long day working in the sun. She took her gloves off to redo her braid, relaxing as the breeze blew through her hair.

"I agree, but it's not exactly like we chose to be here. But here we are so we're just gonna have to play the hand we're dealt," she responded.

"If we could just get our clothes and food from the theatre; I knew I should've grabbed more candy before we left," he grumbled.

"Actually I have a plan for that," she told him. And for the first time since they'd arrived at their new home base, Beck looked excited.

"We weren't in that van very long on the ride over here, and the ride was from Annapolis to here. Our movie theatre must be the halfway point between the Sanctuary and the Annapolis camp. So doing the math, we must be about five to seven miles away. I can run there easily and grab some things for us if I can just figure out where I am once I get out of here."

"Yeah but how are you gonna get out of here. This place is completely fenced in and there's guards patrolling it 24/7," he countered.

"So you know the main building that we all live in?" she asked.

He nodded.

"I ventured out on a jog the other morning," she said putting air quotes around the word jog, "and north of the main building are another few industrial buildings – manufacturing plants most likely, but the further north you go, the fewer guards. Then there's this wooded area that they don't guard at all. Further beyond the wooded area is a place that looks like it was once inhabited. There's lots of buildings, but they're more sophisticated than these industrial ones. Anyway, it's completely vacant – no guards, nothing."

"Is it fenced in though?" he asked.

"Yeah, but there's a pile of pallets stacked high enough that I can climb to throw myself over."

"Yeah, but how will you get back over the fence when you get back," he pointed out.

"I don't know. I haven't thought that far ahead. I just know we're going to starve to death if I don't somehow manage to get food for us," she replied passing him the bin they threw the weeds in.

Glancing up, Haley noticed a towering man sauntering towards them. Everything about this man was intimidating from the barbed bat he carried over his shoulder down to the smug, satisfied look he wore. When his eyes met hers, a wide grin spread across his face.

"Well, hello," he said coming to stand in front of her.

"Hello," Haley parroted back staring up at his from her position on the ground.

"I heard we had new recruits, and I thought I'd come over and introduce myself. I'm Negan, owner of everything you see here," he introduced himself gesturing grandly at the sanctuary. "And you are?"

"Haley," she responded bringing her hand up to her eyes to shield them from the sun. Negan used that opportunity to grab her hand gently tugging her to a standing position.

"Haley," he repeated in his gravelly voice. "That is a beautiful name," he remarked looking her slowly up and down in a way that made her internally squirm.

"And this must be Beckett," he said turning his attention to Beck. "Gotta say, I've never met such a young killer."

"It was-," Haley interjected, her arm coming out to block Beck in a defensive stance.

"I know I know," Negan interrupted. "I was just busting his balls. No hard feelings, kid. In fact, you see that building over there," he pointed to one of the large warehouses in the distance with people bustling around it. "That is the supply depot. Go get yourself something, anything you want."

Eyeing Haley warily, Beck responded, "We don't have the points."

"It's on me, kid. Tell 'em Negan sent ya."

Haley nodded to him, and he hesitantly walked off in the direction of the warehouse.

"Let's take a walk," Negan said jerking his chin towards the main building.

Haley followed, falling in step beside him.

"So, how are you liking it here so far?" he asked.

Taking a moment to choose her words, she responded, "Not having to constantly fend off walkers is a nice change of pace."

He stared down at her, pondering her words but said nothing.

When the silence stretched on for longer than was comfortable, Haley asked, "Where are we going?"

"My room," he responded simply, and before she had a chance to respond, he called out, "Fat Joey! Come meet Haley."

A heavy set man paused mid step on the staircase before rushing over to shake her hand.

"Hi, I'm Joey," he said shyly.

Haley smiled and reciprocated the introduction.

"Joey is a pricey one to keep around seeing as he's a fat ass," Negan taunted, "but he's our head engineer."

Haley nodded awkwardly, wondering if Negan was this mean to everyone here.

"Okay, enough of your staring," he ordered, dismissing Fat Joey as they continued to climb the stairs to the seventh floor.

"Here we are," he announced as he opened the door for her.

Haley stood feet frozen to the floor, unsure what Negan had in store for her. What if he really was pissed about Beck killing one of his soldiers? Was she here for punishment? All the gossip she'd heard about him in the past couple weeks swirled through her head and she was frozen with fear and indecision.

"Come on, I'm not going to hurt you. Promise," he winked.

Haley cautiously walked through the door and into the most luxurious room she'd seen since leaving The Shield. The right portion of the room was mostly a sitting area with a leather couch and two chairs separated by a coffee table. Several bookshelves lined the far wall decorated with books and small knick knacks, and a black desk sat in a corner littered with map and notebooks. The rest of the room was swallowed up by a large, black four-poster bed complete with actual bedding and pillows.

"Amazing, right?" Negan asked as he watch her take in her surroundings.

"It's certainly something, I'll give you that," she responded.

He led her to a small table and pulled out a chair for her before handing her a freeze dried meal containing a pasta and vegetable rotini.

"I can't – I don't have the points for this," Haley said refusing the meal.

"I'm the king of this place, and I say you can have it," he said pushing it towards her.

She picked up a fork and hesitated.

"Eat," he ordered. "I know you're not eating much because you can't afford it. You look like one of those orphans in those charity commercials."

Rolling her eyes at his insult, Haley ripped the plastic off the meal and tentatively tried a small bite. Normally, this would've been a disgusting meal, but in her starved state, it was one of the most delicious things she'd ever tasted.

Satisfied that she was now eating, Negan took a seat opposite her.

"What did you do before this?" he questioned her.

"I cut hair," she lied.

"Where are you from?"

"Before the end of the world or what camp was I staying in before I came here?"

"Both."

"Florida and before we got here, Beck and I lived at a place called The Shield," she answered him.

"Is it around here? Is it bigger than the sanctuary? How did you get separated from your group?" he continued his line of questioning.

"It's not around here.I'm not really sure where it is to tell you the truth; we've been running for so long. We left The Shield. Escaped, actually. It's somewhat like this place. Bigger, more people, way more sophisticated."

He spent several moments just staring at her letting this information sink in.

"If you were somewhere so much nicer than here, why did you leave? Why come here?"

"I didn't choose to come here. Your men dragged us here," she countered.

"Why were you running from your sophisticated headquarters?"

"Our leader could be," she paused searching for the right word, "unbearable."

"How do I know you weren't just sent here as a spy? Gather information and report back to your people and then you attack us."

"You don't."

The stared each other down for a long moment, eyes locked in a silent standoff.

"He run things like I do?"

"Some things. The sanctuary is more of a free market. There's a well defined system – leader, lieutenants, soldiers, laborers. Everyone earns their points and pay is determined by how valuable your job is, right?"

He nodded.

"Cole's government is hazy – no distinct rules, no points earned. Everyone has a job to do, but most things are distributed equally. The other side of that is that he can take anything he gives you. Piss him off? No food for however long he determines. You can lose the place where you sleep, your possessions, whatever – just because Cole says so. And most times you don't know if you're breaking a rule until you've already broken it."

"And what did you do to incur the wrath of this Cole?" he asked.

"Mad men don't need reasons for doing the things they do," she responded evasively.

Thinking over their conversation for several moments, Negan asked, "Would you like to continue your upscale lifestyle?"

"I don't want to go back to The Shield," Haley told him without hesitation.

"Not there," he corrected her. "Would you like to live like this here at the sanctuary?" He gestured around his opulent bedroom."

"Depends on what kind of strings come attached to it," she replied.

He smiled wide at that comment, his dimples on full display.

"All you have to do is marry me. I can give you the best of everything – food, clothes, medicine, anything Beck wants or needs," he made eye contact with her, driving that point home. "You'll always be under my protection, no more worries. You only have to be my wife."

Haley raised a disbelieving eyebrow. " _This guy is insane_. _What does marriage even matter anymore in this world? If he wanted to screw me, couldn't he just ask or make a move like a normal guy? No, he must have some hidden agenda, something I haven't read in the fine print,"_ she thought.

"I don't thi-," she started.

"Just think about it for a few days. Consider your options. Think of what this could mean for you. And Beck," he told her seriously.

"Okay," she agreed crossing the room to throw away the freeze dried container, lingering near the door.

"I should check on Beck," she said hoping he'd let her go.

He nodded, but as she placed her hand on the doorknob, he called out to her, "Haley?"

She turned and met his eyes.

"I'll come see you again in a few days, and you can give me a haircut," he said with a wink. It was such a playful gesture that Haley couldn't tell if he was screwing with her because he knew she was lying about her profession, and it's why he was testing her with a haircut or because he was just flirting.

"Okay, Negan," she smiled back playfully as well. If he was trying to disarm her with his charm or intimidation, she was going to push back.

" _Two can play this game_ ," she thought.

She did have to admit, however, that his offer did give her another option beyond just the crazy plan she'd been turning over in her head for the past few days. Walking down the stairs to her floor, she resigned herself to fact that both were pretty shitty options but pushed that thought to the back of her mind since she desperately needed to get some sleep.


	3. Chapter 3

It was edging toward the end of the work week, and Haley could feel the buzz of excitement in the air.

"At the end of the week, people let loose," Carla had informed her a few days ago. "People hang out at the marketplace looking for deals on food, clothes, decks of cards, or whatever piques your interest. We have your card players: poker, blackjack, anything you can bet on. Negan and his saviors have a pickup game on the basketball court out back. Plenty of people go to watch that – lotta guys here, must be the testosterone that draws them in, random females, some looking to get Negan's attention in hopes to become the next wife, and a couple of actual wives."

"Wait, what?!" Haley asked bewildered. "Wives as in plural?"

"Oh yeah, Negan has four," she confirmed.

And there it was – the fine print, the other shoe dropping, the missing link as to why Negan would propose marriage to her: because he collected women. Haley laughed out loud at the sheer ridiculousness of it.

"I know. It's completely insane," Carla laughed with her, "but the man is crazy. What I can't wrap my head around is the women who agree to this. I mean, talk about completely lacking any self respect, right?"

"Preach it, sistah!" Haley said still laughing at the bizarre scenario of Negan and his multiple wives." If she had entertained his proposal before out of sheer necessity to provide her and Beck with some semblance of a stable life, the mention of being a sister wife had her rejecting the idea completely. Switching topics, she asked Carla, "So which of these activities do you participate in? Point me in the direction of some fun."

"Okay, so Manny plays soccer with some of the other boys here," she said referring to her son Manny. "I'll have him take Beck; he'll love it. And then you and I are going to hang out at the craps table. I go every week trying to catch the attention of a certain savior, but I have weapons this week," she said pulling out a small bag of cosmetics. "Girl, I am going to look so amazing that if he doesn't notice me, screw him."

Haley laughed at her enthusiastic pursuit of this savior.

"Plus, Bradley is the dealer at the craps table, and he makes moonshine that isn't half bad. So you totally have to come."

"I'll be there," Haley promised.

* * *

Haley's first weekend gathering had come, and she and Carla sat in front of a floor length mirror doing their hair and makeup. She let her hair fall in loose waves as she applied mascara.

"So who is this mysterious man you've deemed lucky enough to deserve your attention?" Haley pried.

"Lance," Carla responded getting frustrated with the eyeliner pen.

"Here, let me even you out," Haley told her. "Never thought I'd be putting on makeup ever again."

"Girl, there's a lot of shit you will end up doing at the sanctuary that you would've never even considered before," she said. "Anyway, I'll point Lance out. He's medium height, dark hair. I've been looking for an in for weeks, but the man mostly keeps to himself. But I got dibs, so no batting your pretty blue eyes in his direction."

"Yes ma'am," Haley laughed giving her a mock salute as she changed into a pair of gray, skinny jeans and a semi sheer sleeveless tee that she paired on top of a black bralette."

Giving her a once over, Carla said, "On second thought, take your perfect tits over to the basketball court. I don't want my future man ogling you."

Haley laughed, "Don't pretend you're not hot."

"I know, but this guy has my confidence taking a nose dive."

"He'll notice you," Haley said attempting to cheer her up. "He'd be crazy not to. Like you said he keeps to himself. He's probably just shy."

"We'll find out tonight," she replied pulling on her shoes.

* * *

Haley sat on a stool at the craps table drinking Bradley's homemade booze, observing the crowded warehouse when a petite, brunette in a yellow sun dress walked up to her and exclaimed, "Oh my gosh! Are those Pax Briggs biker boots? I was so obsessed with them when they premiered in the fall collection. I even pre-ordered them, but then, ya know, then end of the world happened."

Jolted from her people watching, Haley replied, "As soon as I saw them on the runway, I knew I had to have them. Who knew they'd double as apocalyptic footwear?"

Laughing, Chloe said, "Fashionable and functional. I like you. I'm Chloe."

"Haley," she exchanged introductions.

Chloe leaned over counter to order herself a cup of whatever they were serving. She was tiny but curvy like a little Betty Boop.

"Let's take a walk," she suggested.

Haley looked over to where Carla was completely engrossed in conversation with who she could only assume was Lance so she followed Chloe out of the warehouse."

"I love your jeans too," Chloe complimented. "J Brand is my favorite, but I always have to have everything altered because I'm so freaking short and it's not like we have a seamstress handy around here. This way," she pointed back towards the main building.

"Where are we going?" Haley asked.

"To watch the basketball game."

"Um, maybe we should go check out the poker game or something," Haley suggested wanting to avoid Negan.

"I like a guy who plays in the basketball game," Chloe confessed, "but I'm a wife so this is basically one of the only times I get to see him."

"Wait, you're married but you go to the game to hit on another guy?" Haley asked confused.

"Well I'm married to Negan so I mean that doesn't even really count, right? Most of the other wives have exes that they still want to be with, so what's a little crush gonna hurt?"

Shit. The last person Haley wanted to see was Negan. The second to last was one of Negan's wives. Chloe's dress and strappy sandals along with her shiny hair and polished nails made sense now. As a wife, she was probably well provided for.

"I know you're probably judging me right now. No one likes the wives; hell I don't like most of those bitches either, but we all have a reason for being here," Chloe explained as she sat down on one of the benches in the spectator area near the basketball court. "See, that's Gabi," she informed Haley pointing out a pretty black girl holding a young boy's hand, "and that's her son, Trevor. He has epilepsy, so she agreed to be Negan's wife in order to be able to get her son the medication he needed. She's the only wife I really like." Pointing to a thin, honey blonde girl in a black dress, Chloe said, "That's Sherry, the first wife. She has this weird, complicated relationship with Negan. I mean, she has every reason to hate the man, but there are times when it seems like she's genuinely attracted to him."

"Why does she have a reason to hate Negan?"

"See that guy she's talking to? The one with the burned face? That used to be her husband, Dwight. They were some of the first to know Negan before there was ever even a sanctuary. He saved their group from a horde of walkers and people started regarding Negan as the leader instead of Dwight, which obviously Dwight did not like at all. Anyway, they found this place and created the sanctuary where Negan was established as the leader and he created the rules. Sherry's sister, Tina, had diabetes and was going to marry Negan, but then she had a sudden change of heart and the three of them attempted to run away with all of the insulin from the sanctuary, which is pretty selfish if you ask me considering we have several diabetics. Anyway, Tina got bitten on their little excursion, and they got caught obviously. Negan was set to execute Dwight, but Sherry begged for leniency and offered to become Negan's wife so here we have this fucked up situation."

Haley sat there processing this overload of information when Chloe interrupted her.

"And those two are Tanya and Frankie. Tanya is the bigger one wearing the dresses two sizes too small; girlfriend really does herself no favors. And Frankie is the redhead, and I think she's the only one who actually really loves Negan; it's pathetic. But me, Tanya, and, Frankie don't really have any other reason for being Negan's wives other than creature comforts and an easy life," Chloe said wrapping up her summary of Negan's band of brides. And before Haley could interject her thoughts into the conversation, Chloe sat up straighter and exclaimed, "Oh! There he is!"

The tall, mustachioed man who had dragged her and Beck out of the woods and to the sanctuary strutted toward the basketball court but not before smiling and giving Chloe a small wave.

"Simon is your guy?" Haley asked slightly disbelieving. Chloe was young and very pretty, and Simon didn't really seem like Chloe's type especially considering how many young, fit men were saviors.

" I know it seems like an odd choice, but there's just something about him that has me so enamored with the man. I don't know if it's because he's older or his powerful position, but I just wanna ugh!," she said groaning, which caused them both to erupt into a fit of laughter.

Just then, Negan emerged from the marketplace building towards the court. His dark eyes scanned the crowd gathered around the court on benches until they found Haley. He held eye contact with her for several moments as he licked his lips. Haley felt like she was being crushed under his smoldering gaze, but she didn't know if she wanted him to stop. He winked at her and gave her a half grin before turning to take the basketball from Simon.

"Wow, what was that?" Chloe asked.

"What was what?" Haley answered the question with another question as she came back down to reality.

"Uh, the sparks flying out of you two could create a raging inferno. It's not shocking he would notice you; you're freaking drop dead gorgeous. I bet he is totally going to ask you to be a wife."

Not knowing how to respond to that, Haley just gave her a blank stare.

"Shut up! He already has! Ahh! You have to say yes, please! I hate all these other bitches. We could hang out all day, and the clothes selection is actually decent, and I already know you have great style. Please," she begged drawing out the last syllable.

"He gave me a few days to consider," Haley responded not wanting to let Chloe down but also still firmly planning on denying Negan's request.

"I will convince you," Chloe said determinedly and then promptly dove into a conversation about how much she missed bubble baths. Chloe was easy to talk to, and they had a lot in common: fashion favorites, music, and movies to name a few. Chloe had even promised to let her borrow a few books. A whistle blew signaling halftime. Haley had been so engrossed in her conversation with her new friend she hadn't even paid any attention to the game. A deep voice called out her name, and she looked to see Negan standing at the far end of the court motioning her over.

"Enjoying this little social gathering so far?" he asked when she'd made her way towards him.

"Yeah," she answered honestly. "I met Chloe. I like her."

"Yeah, I see her over there hogging all your attention, making me jealous.

"Right," Haley said rolling her eyes.

A blonde girl passed and handed Negan a cup of water and he thanked her. She lingered there for a while until he informed her that he didn't need anything else, and she left in a huff.

Returning his attention to Haley, he ran his finger down the necklace she wore, tracing a path from her décolletage down to her cleavage, intentionally letting his hand skim the lacy bralette she wore. "I like this," he told her holding the gold bar pendant between his fingers.

"Mmm, I bet you do," she gave him a knowing smile.

He licked his lips and smiled back.

"I have a proposition for you," he said.

"Am I not already considering one of your propositions," she asked.

"True, but this is more of a wager."

"Okay, let's hear it."

"If I win this game, you come back to my room," he proposed, and seeing her look of mistrust, he added, "to hang out, of course. Get to know each other a little better. Why do you always assume the worst with me?"

"Because you're Negan," she replied as if this was obvious.

"That really hurts my fucking feelings, doll."

"I doubt anything hurts your feelings," she replied, which made him laugh. "And what do I get if I win?"

"What do you want?" he questioned her with a mischievous gleam in his eyes.

"I want to move to the east dorms," she replied.

"You want a new dorm?" he asked.

"I sleep in a room with forty other people, most of which are men who stand there gawking at me when I get dressed every morning. So yes, I want a new dorm."

"Okay," he agreed.

"Halftime's over, let's kick some ass!" Simon called over to Negan.

"Good luck," Haley called after him.

"I don't need luck baby, I got skills," he called with a wink.

Haley found her way back to her spot on the bench with Chloe.

"I've never seen Negan so taken with someone. I mean, he acts like he's so into Sherry, but it's only when Dwight's around because the man lives to take digs at Dwight at every possible opportunity," Chloe informed her.

"Well, aren't I just a lucky girl," Haley retorted sarcastically causing them both to laugh.

Most of the men had taken their shirts off, the chilly, evening breeze not doing enough to cool them down. Observing the group of men, Haley realized just how many good looking men actually lived here.

"Who is that?" Haley asked watching a particularly attractive guy with piercing blue eyes rip off his shirt.

Chloe laughed, "That is Lucas. He's majorly hot, right? His abs looks like they were photoshopped."

"Is he a savior?" Haley inquired.

"Yes, pretty high ranking. He dated Frankie for a while, and he still bangs her from time to time."

"And Negan is okay with that?" Haley asked incredulously.

"Who do you think offered her up?" Chloe retorted.

"So wait, Negan offers his wives up to other saviors?" Haley inquired, thinking this marriage arrangement got weirder by the minute.

"He does, but only if the wives are willing. It's how I met Simon."

"So you've been with Simon?"

"Several times," she replied like it was no big thing. "I know it must seem completely fucked up, and it is. I've only ever said yes to Simon, but some of the other girls are down for anything. Frankie bragged a while back about how Negan and Lucas Eiffel Tower'ed her," Chloe said, referencing the sex position.

"Gross! Why would she even brag about that?" Haley said thoroughly disgusted.

"Because she's a nasty whore," Chloe replied matter-of-factly. "The wives are forbidden from cheating on Negan, but if he gives permission, it's ok. For instance, if Negan's team wins tonight, it'll put him in a good mood and he'll offer up his wives to the saviors, which means I'll get a night with Simon," Chloe added excitedly.

"His team is down right now," Haley observed.

"Are they?" Chloe asked shocked, clearly not knowing a thing about the game of basketball. "Great, then this whole night was a complete waste of makeup."

Switching gears, Haley asked, "If you don't have to work, what do you do all day."

"Literally nothing," Chloe deadpanned. "Which is why you have to become a wife. Hanging out with you is the most fun I've had in months."

"That's just pathetic," Haley laughed.

"Tell me about it," she replied.

A whistle blew sounding the end of the game.

"Losing your touch, man," Lucas teased Negan.

"Fuck off, dickhead," Negan replied throwing a basketball at his head, which Lucas barely evaded.

"Well, I can't give you Simon, but I can get you drunk?" Haley suggested to a put out Chloe.

"Okay," she responded perking up a bit.

Getting up from the bench, Haley heard Negan calling her name.

"Turns out your skills weren't up to par, should've taken my luck when I offered it," Haley teased as she walked towards him.

"Nah, I threw the game for you. So you could get your new dorm," he replied cooly.

"You're smooth," she laughed turning to leave.

"I'll see you soon for that haircut you promised," he called after her.

Chloe and Haley passed by Lucas on their way towards the warehouse, and he kicked a basketball out of her way.

"Thank you," she said flashing him her most dazzling smile.

"Anytime," he returned her smile.

She took a moment to admire his athletic physique. Chloe was right; he was a major hottie. She risked a glance over her shoulder to check him out once more, only to find he was still staring at her. She waved and turned back to Chloe, both of them giggling like teenagers.

"Lucas!" Negan yelled, watching the scene unfold.

Lucas turned to the foreboding man, the smile disappearing from his face.

"Hands off of that one. I've already made her an offer," he informed his soldier.

"She accept?" Lucas questioned.

"Not yet," Negan said tersely as he watched Chloe and Haley walk off together, laughing and talking animatedly to each other. " _But soon_ ," he thought to himself.


	4. Chapter 4

Haley and Beckett arrived in their newly assigned room. It was small and cramped but besides them, there were only two other people in this room – Jiro and Paula, two of Negan's saviors who were often gone due to their continued presence at one of the outposts that the saviors ran.

Haley unpacked the few clothes they'd had with them and placed them in the small dresser between her and Beck's beds and shoved the backpacks under Beck's bed. She glanced around the room taking in her surroundings. Jiro and Paula had fully made beds, no doubt able to afford it on their savior's salary. Beck and Haley's beds had only a fitted sheet, no other blankets or pillows, but it was still an upgrade from their old room. Haley briefly wondered what they would do come winter with no blankets in an unheated building.

" _Let's figure out what to do about food first_ ," she thought to herself pushing those secondary worries back down before she drowned in stress.

There were days where Haley wasn't eating at all in order to keep Beck fed, and it was starting to take a toll on her. She was suddenly feeling less judgmental about the women who agreed to be Negan's wives.

As if sensing her thoughts, Chloe appeared in the doorway. "

Boo!" she exclaimed popping into the room.

"What a dump," she observed. "When you become a wife, you'll sleep on satin sheets not this itchy, polyester crap," she said crinkling her nose. "Anyway, do you work all day today?"

"Yes, unfortunately."

"Lame," she replied in a bored tone as she rummaged through Jiro's belongings. "Oh, cards! Wanna play cards tonight? Me, you, and Beck can play rummy."

"Yeah, sounds good," Haley agreed.

"Hello, ladies," Negan greeted striding into the room. "Planning a date without me?"

"We sure are," Chloe taunted him. "See ya tonight, Hales," she waved as she exited.

"So, Hales," Negan teased using Chloe's nickname for her, "I've come to collect on that haircut you owe me, and I could use a fresh shave, too."

Rolling her eyes, Haley turned to put her shoes on. The sudden movement caused her calorie starved body to become dizzy, and she grabbed hold of the small dresser to keep from falling.

"Whoa, you okay there?" Negan looked concerned as he walked over to her.

"I'm okay. I'm just swooning at the sight of you," Haley replied sitting down before her legs gave out.

Negan barked out a laugh before asking, "When's the last time you ate?"

"It's been a while," she answered.

Interrupting them, Fat Joey entered the room.

"Sorry I'm late, Negan, it took me a while to track down the clippers," he announced laying clippers, a squirt bottle, and shaving products on Jiro's bed.

Haley was suddenly aware that Negan's hair was wet; that coupled with the hair products that Fat Joey had brought up led her to the realization that he wanted that haircut right now.

Ignoring the apology, Negan jabbed, "It's the irony of the apocalypse, that I've got this fucking tub of lard on one side and this bag of bones on the other."

Rolling her eyes at his insult, Haley said, "Thank you, Joey."

"No problem," he mumbled before quickly exiting the room.

"He knows I'm just fucking with him," Negan defended himself.

Ignoring him, Haley nodded toward her bed and handing him the squirt bottle, she said, "Hold this and sit down."

"Oh, domineering. I like it," he winked.

Tuning him out, she went to work trimming his hair, working her fingers through the wet layers.

"Mmm," he moaned loudly as she raked her nails across his scalp gathering up the top strands of his locks.

"Why do you have to make everything dirty?" she asked him.

"I'm not. This feels fan-fucking-tastic. If my moaning sends dirty thoughts racing through your head, then you're the dirty one," he smiled broadly showcasing his dimples.

She rolled her eyes as she walked around the bed and stepped between his knees, "Lean your head forward," she ordered him to which he complied.

"Fat Joey used to cut my hair, but he never made it feel as good as you do although he does have bigger titties than you," he informed her as stared down her shirt, which actually made her laugh out loud.

"See, I can make you laugh," he said, a smile spreading across his face.

"Yeah, by insulting my boobs."

"I like your boobs; they're perky and you've got good cleavage. I get a partial chub just when I see them. Imagine how hard I'd get when you fully show them to me."

"You really know how to woo the ladies," she responded sarcastically.

"I could if you let me," he said grabbing her wrist to stop her snipping motion, and the look in his eyes was so earnest that if Haley didn't know better, she'd have believed he truly meant it.

" _Don't fall into this trap_ ," she silently told herself. " _Men like Negan will say anything to get what they want_."

Breaking her eyes away from his hypnotic gaze, Haley said, "I bet you say that to all your wives."

He rubbed his thumb up and down her wrist a few times before releasing it from his grasp as he sat back wordlessly.

Haley ran some pomade through his hair to slick back his hair the way he so often wore it, and then turned to grab the straight razor and the shaving brush.

Negan silently laid back on the bed as

Haley dabbed shaving cream on his face. His silence was unnerving her. She didn't know if she had insulted him or if he was just thinking.

Opening up the straight razor, she eyed him warily, "You sure you trust me with a sharp object this close to your carotid artery? One nick, and you're a goner."

He met her eyes and smiled, "Yeah, but I know you wouldn't do that."

"You always this trusting," she asked as she scraped the razor along his jaw line.

"No, just confident in my judgment of others' characters," he replied arrogantly.

"And you're so sure you know my character? Just a couple weeks ago, you accused me of being a spy for a potentially hostile group, and now you're just making it easy for me – handing me a weapon and making yourself vulnerable," she challenged him.

"A beautiful woman come to seduce and seize my kingdom as her own. You are the perfect wolf in sheep's clothing," he contemplated.

"Says the big bad wolf himself," she protested.

That caused him to roar with laughter.

"You are undoubtedly the most enigmatic woman I've ever met," he commented surveying her features carefully.

"I'm gonna take that as a compliment," she said wiping the leftover shaving cream from his face.

Sitting up and wiping his hands over his freshly shaven face, he asked, "So is this you turning me down?"

"This is me turning you down," she confirmed.

"You do realize how fucking difficult it is for a person to provide for themselves while working for points, let alone to fucking feed someone else, right?," he questioned her.

"I do," she responded, "but I'll manage."

"Is it the whole sharing thing?" he asked.

That's part of it," she answered.

When she looked up, he still had a curious look on his face so she added, "But there are other reasons."

"Like?" he asked waiting for her to expound on her reasoning.

"Like I'm not a fucking car for your saviors to take out for a ride when you feel like renting me out," she threw at him.

"It doesn't have to be that way. It can be just between us. Fuck those other fucks," he offered.

"No, but it is that way. The very fact that you have a harem, and that you pass around your wives, and they willingly participate in whatever goes on – that defines your moral character. I don't want to be with someone like that even if it is a superficial relationship brokered solely out of necessity. I've been down that road already – I've been with the violent, psychopath leader, helped him build a dynasty and where did that get me? In a rundown building with no electricity or water sleeping on a paper thin mattress with no food to eat with another brutal, sociopath asshole leader asking me if I'd like to be one of his many playthings. So thank you for the offer but I've been down this road before, and it doesn't lead anywhere good. So my answer is no," she concluded before she got so angry that she throttled him.

"Well, sweetheart, I don't believe I've ever been told to go fuck myself so thoroughly before in my life," he said flashing his dimples as he smiled widely.

"First time for everything," she deadpanned. "Now, if we're done, I had to go to work."

"Whatever you want, doll," he winked. "And thanks for the haircut! I look fucking amazing!" he hollered at her as she marched out of the room.

"Fuck you, asshole," she muttered under her breath.

" _And fuck you for thinking I'd ever lower myself to being one of your wives_ ," she thought.

Haley felt more determined than ever now to be able to survive in the sanctuary even if she had no concrete plan on how to move forward.


	5. Chapter 5

Picking up the trowel to dig a small hole for some zucchini seeds, Haley whispered to Beck, "I'm going to make a run to the theatre tomorrow to pick up our clothes and as much food as I can carry."

Perking up, Beck asked excitedly, "Can you get my red Nikes?"

"Keep your voice down," she whispered, "and yes I can get them."

"How are you going to break out of here?" he murmured in a low tone.

"Just leave that to me," she told him. "All I need is some minor involvement from Charlie, and I should be good to go."

Interrupting their scheming, the older gentleman who ran the gardens walked over.

"Let's call it a day. Place looks much better already," he noted observing the freshly weeded tomato garden.

"Thanks, Charlie," Haley said.

Charlie was kind, which was rare in a place where life was not easy and common decency had been thrown out the window. Haley thought back to the first day they'd met Charlie and how he had proudly showed them the crops that were sprouting due to his hard work.

"Let me show you the section where we will eventually put these potted zucchini," he said leading her past the rows of corn, tomatoes, and cucumbers that decorated the decent sized garden. The smaller area with raised garden beds was where Haley and Beck worked. Vegetation included onions, lettuce, strawberries, and beans.

"Wished they could find some potato or wheat seeds on one of their scavenge missions," Charlie noted. "It sure would feed a lot more people."

"Actually, I have a proposition for you that could mean getting our hands on those seeds ," she said.

"Okay," he spoke hesitantly.

"I need to skip work tomorrow, and I need you to cover for me," she told him as he gave her a hesitant look. "But I swear I'll make it worth your while. I can get you seeds for wheat, potatoes, and sweet potatoes. And I can throw in a candy bar, too," she offered hoping like hell he'd take the deal.

He considered the offer for several moments before asking, "Can you get carrots and grapes?"

"I can try."

"Can you get a Baby Ruth?"

"Yes."

"Then you've got a deal."

"I'll be back tomorrow night; it's just for the day, I promise," she told him breathing a sigh of relief.

Grabbing her arm in a firm grip, he looked her in the eye and said, "Be careful out there, Haley, and be quick about whatever is you're doing out there."

"I will," she nodded, "I promise."

* * *

The next morning Haley woke up before dawn. She'd observed several of the sanctuary's residents getting up early before their work shifts to jog or workout and decided that joining them would be the perfect ruse for escaping.

Reaching over to the bed against the wall, she gently shook Beck.

"I'm leaving. I'll be back tonight, 'kay?," she whispered.

He nodded and rolled over, and she made her way out of the building.

Jogging along the path that ran east of the main building, Haley passed only a few residents either jogging or walking the perimeter. The morning was foggy and cool, and she was glad to be getting an early start since she had no idea where their old makeshift home base was. Deliberately slowing her pace, so she could observe the guard towers, she finally saw what she'd been waiting for: the guard's shift change. Looking around to see if anyone was watching, she sped up towards the wooded area glancing once over her shoulder to be sure she wasn't being followed. Once she had crossed the wooded area, she navigated her way around the more sophisticated area of the sanctuary that housed what looked like newly constructed, modern buildings until she spotted several piles of old, stacked pallets. She sprinted towards them.

Launching herself onto the shortest stack, she made quick work of climbing to a stack tall enough to get her over the fence. Thinking on her feet, she grabbed a pallet from the heap closest to her and threw it over the fence, repeating this action several times until she estimated she had enough pallets to give her the height she would need to get back over the fence when she came back. With one last look around, she hopped easily over the fence and hit the ground running.

* * *

" _I must be at least three miles away at this point, and I still have no idea where I am_ ," Haley thought to herself as she was starting to regret this little excursion. She was already eating very little in an attempt to keep Beck fed, and she was burning through the precious few calories she had consumed.

Suddenly she spotted a road sign with store locations and mileage printed on it. Breathing a huge sigh of relief, she pressed on closer until she could read it. The sign was one of those that were often placed before you got onto the interstate that would tell you how many miles and in what direction your destination was. Browsing through it, Haley found the listing she was looking for – Bridgeport Strip Mall I-495E 11 mi.

" _Okay, if I were to hop on the Interstate, it would be 11 miles away, but if I just head east, I should be able to take a shortcut_." And since she was traveling by foot, she'd take all the shortcuts she could get.

Haley alternated between full out sprinting and slow jogging for several miles. She was trying not to wear herself out, and the sun had just risen so she was still making very good time. She didn't recognize any of this landscape and so she hoped it was just because she was coming from a different direction. And just when she thought everything was going way too smoothly, she heard voices carrying across the open field she was running through. Quickly throwing herself down into the tall grass, she listened intently.

"Austin, have you checked the drip lines, yet?" a female voice called out.

"Yeah, irrigation system should be good for this year. Reed wants to add more grain. How's the soil in the vegetable garden?" Austin replied.

"It's fine. We're doubling up on corn after losing so many cows and pigs this winter," the female voice called.

" _I'm on a farm_ ," Haley realized, " _and holy shit these people are not only growing their own food, they have animals._ "

Lying there in disbelief, Haley contemplated what this meant. There were people who were surviving on what must be a massive farm. It seemed an infinitely better living situation than the sanctuary, and she mentally cemented this place and how to get back here in her mind. For now, she needed to get to the theatre and collect some necessities and get back to Beck before they could hatch a new plan. Waiting until the voices faded, she dubiously poked her head up, and upon seeing the path was clear, she made a run for it.

Running as fast as her legs could carry her, Haley finally made it to a road. She could see a gas station on the corner of the street, and as she got closer she could her the faint hissing of walkers. I must be close to the strip mall she thought with relief and then laughed out loud that the sound of walkers would ever bring her relief. Peering around the gas station corner, she caught a glimpse of a park and knew she'd found her theatre. Crossing the street and rounding the park corner, the strip mall and its abundant, idling corpses came into view. Haley made her way to the back parking lot that faced the forest, thankful to find her walker covered garb. She peered around the parking lot assuring herself she was alone before she changed clothes.

Donning her gruesome garb, she grabbed a rock with a sharp edge lying on the ground and proceeded to capture the attention of some of the walkers nearest to the fence. Luring one close enough, she opened the fence and let it out before she smashed its head in. Scrunching her nose in disgust and taking a few deep breaths so she didn't vomit, she began to rub its blood and innards over her already filthy clothes.

Thankful that the hard part was over with, Haley carefully made her way inside the fence and slowly walked to the back doors of the theatre. Once inside she rid herself of the dirty clothes. Standing there in her bra and underwear, she allowed herself a brief rest before setting herself to her tasks.

"First things first," she said aloud to herself before making her way to the concession stands and opening a bottle of water. She was beyond thirsty and drained the entire bottle within seconds. Grabbing a second bottle, she made her way upstairs to the social area where she and Beck had made their home. Picking a duffel bag off of the ground, she began stuffing it with clothes and shoes. Clothes and shoes were a luxury in the sanctuary. Everyone had a few outfits, but Haley had seen people with holes in their shoes and most everyone's clothing was well worn. And clothes cost a lot more points than food, and they could barely afford food as it was.

"Oh, speaking of luxuries," she spoke to herself again, adding shampoo, deodorant, toothpaste and other toiletries to the bag. She grabbed another bag and repeated the process of filling it with clothes and toiletries.

"Now for food," she spoke to the empty theatre as she filled the first bag with granola bars, candy bars, and several boxes of Power Bars. Beck didn't care for them, but they packed a lot of nutrients into a bar, and it's not exactly like they could be choosy in their situation. Before closing the bag, she stashed a small knife that could be easily concealed and a loaded, small handgun. She armed herself with a larger survival knife with a serrated blade. Tossing all the bags in a corner near a bin of emergency food kits, she took in the view of the theatre parking lot through the massive windows that adorned the walls.

There was a small store just a few buildings down called "The Green Thumb," and Haley knew it held the seeds she'd promised Charlie. Sizing up the small alleys between each building, she decided the rooftop route was the way to go rather than walking through the undead masses. Haley dressed quickly and navigated her way to the theatre rooftop. The distance to the next building was a lot more intimidating now that she was up here.

"You can do this. It's a small jump," she said psyching herself up as she retied the laces on her boots.

Walking to the edge of the rooftop to give herself some room to run, she took a deep breath and mentally noted, " _It's now or never_."

Haley charged toward the opposite end of the roof, gaining as much speed as she could manage and right at the moment when it seemed she would run out of runway, she hurled herself over the edge of the building.

Magically she landed on her feet but the overwhelming inertia she'd created knocked her forward and she just laid on her back for a minute in disbelief over what she'd just done.

"Ok, hard part is over," she said aloud.

She peered over the edge of the building judging the walker herds and trying to find the fire escape. Climbing down the fire escape, she knifed the few stray roamers wandering there before quickly walking to the side door and checking the lock. By sheer luck it was open, so she hesitantly peered inside, weapon drawn.

As she cleared the small shop, she noticed it looked practically untouched. Of course no one would raid a gardening store. Most of the places that had been emptied out were weapons dealers, pharmacies, and superstores.

She grabbed a bag off the counter and walked down the small aisle containing garden seeds and planting kits. She grabbed the potato and wheat seeds and browsed the selection for carrots.

Taking in just how large of a selection was here, she thought, " _Screw it_ ," and just started dumping every single seed packet into the bag. She saw a sign that read "Plant These Flowers In Your Garden As A Natural Pesticide" so she added those to her haul as well. She snagged a few pairs of gloves and headed towards the side exit that she'd come through.

Glancing through the window, she noticed a small swarm of walkers roaming toward the store.

"Shit," she said trying not to panic.

Walking as quickly and quietly as possible to the alley entrance, she stabbed two walkers and swiftly climbed the ladder of the fire escape. Now standing on the rooftop building, she slid the bag over her arm and repeated her running takeoff and leapt to the next building. This time she let herself fall to the ground and just stayed there resting a moment.

" _Hardest part's over_ ," she encouraged herself. " _Now I just need to carry my body weight in food and clothes while trekking ten miles back to the sanctuary and hope no walkers or worse, humans, attack me along the way_ ," she added sarcastically.

Standing back inside the theatre, Haley grabbed her previously packed bags and hauled them outside before changing back into her gore covered wardrobe. Then once safely outside the theatre gates, she changed back into her normal clothes and armed herself with the barrage of luggage thinking of how ridiculous she must look before she set out around the bend towards the road back to the sanctuary. She alternated her path home between slow exhausted steps and awkward, jumbled jogs. The sun was setting and she needed to get back and over the fence in the tedious timeframe that came after dinner but before shift change. The large white, metal building was her landmark clue that she was only a couple miles away from the sanctuary, and the only thing keeping her legs moving was adrenaline and anxiety.

Finally arriving at the fence bordering the sanctuary, Haley threw each bag over, one bouncing off the fence and smacking her in the face.

" _I'm so ready for this damn day to be over_ ," she thought.

As she stacked the pallets, she thought about the farm she'd happened upon and wondered what life was like there. It was definitely an option worth considering.

As Haley hopped over the fence, she noticed how quiet the sanctuary was. Dinner was definitely over she'd concluded as she took in the eerie silence of the place. Sparse few people wandered around the grounds. Leaving behind the two backpacks and the container of MREs, she silently sneaked into the back entrance of the building, thankfully not passing anyone on the stairs and made her way down the hall to her new room.

When she opened the door, Beck's very relieved face met her.

"There you are!" he exclaimed. "I was getting worried you weren't going to make it back tonight."

"Come down and help me with the backpacks," she told him dropping the duffels on the floor near their beds.

After they'd made it safely back up to their room with all of their belongings, Haley told Beck about the farm she'd stumbled upon. He didn't sound overly enthusiastic about trading in the sanctuary for the farm, but she left the option open.

Laying down on her bed, she relaxed for the first time all day. She really needed to shower and change clothes, but that could wait until the morning; right now, more than anything, she desperately needed sleep.

* * *

Negan sat on a chair in the sitting room area outside his bedroom where he was currently holding a meeting with his saviors that was taking an exceedingly long time to wrap up.

He looked across the room to wife number four, Frankie. Frankie fancied herself the queen of the sanctuary. She had begged Negan to allow her to sit in on the meetings, and since she'd proposed a few decent ideas such as placing people in certain job areas and creating a weekly rotation with the wives, he'd acquiesced even if he did have to call her down several times for stepping out of line.

"Depending on our crop yield this fall, I don't know if we'll have enough food to last us the winter. Charlie is in the process of repairing the vegetable garden, but we're still going to need to supplement our food supply with runs and whatever we get from the Hilltop, the beach community, and the Claimers," Todd, a savior in charge of the sanctuary infrastructure, informed the group.

Food. It always came down to food. They were rapidly running out despite the rationing, and the farming was not going as planned.

"We need to start taking more from the Hilltop. Stop leaving them with half of everything," Frankie chimed in causing many of the saviors in the meeting to roll their eyes. She was clearly ignorant of what it took to run the community but demanded that she be part of the conversation anyway. Her presence at the meetings rubbed a lot of them the wrong way even if they couldn't say anything because she was a wife.

"Then they would starve," Todd pointed out. "As much as we may not want to admit it, we need them since they keep us fed."

Seeing Frankie about to argue, Negan interjected, "What about venturing further? Simon mentioned a Costco that was surrounded, which means it may be fully stocked if no one wanted to take that risk. We could clear it out of those undead fucks."

"Do we wanna take that risk though?" Lenny, another savior, asked.

"It doesn't look like we have too much of a choice," Simon pointed out.

Negan scrubbed at the scruff covering his chin knowing his saviors were waiting for his instructions.

"Let me fucking think on this, and we'll reconvene in the morning," he finally said causing many saviors to sigh in relief that this never ending meeting was finally over.

Frankie sauntered over taking a seat in Negan's lap.

"Come on, baby. Let me get you in bed so we can work out that stress," she cooed.

Negan abruptly stood up sending her fumbling to her feet.

"Not tonight sweet cheeks," he said smacking her on the ass. "I'm not in the mood," he said as Frankie huffed off pouting. He knew he'd have to deal with her bitching later, but he truly was too stressed to even think about sex. The irony was he became leader so he could do whatever the fuck he wanted, and now he could barely shoulder the responsibility that came with all this power.

Most of the saviors had cleared out of the meeting, but a few stragglers lingered behind just bullshitting with each other or hoping to get a few moments alone with their leader to discuss something.

Negan sat talking in a corner with Simon, going through some minor maintenance the sanctuary needed when out of the corner of his eye, he noticed Lucas ambling up towards them.

"This fucking asshole," Negan mumbled to Simon.

Chuckling, Simon said, "Thought you liked Lucas."

"I do, but he's coming over here to bust my balls about our newest resident."

"Sup?" Lucas asked when he approached the duo.

Negan jerked his chin in acknowledgment but said nothing further.

Getting right to the point, Lucas queried, "So, did the lil' hot brunette from the game give you her answer yet?"

"She did," Negan confirmed but gave no further information.

"And?" Lucas pressed.

"She's not my wife if that's what you came over here to ask."

"So, is it cool if I make my move?" Lucas asked.

"You can do whatever the fuck you want," Negan spat at him already hating the idea of Lucas succeeding where he had failed.

"Thanks, boss," Lucas smile in response undeterred by Negan's harsh words as he strolled off.

"So she told you no? Gotta say, I'm a little shocked. I put a bottle of Jack on it with Todd," Simon teased his friend.

"Fuck, me too. I thought with the kid, this would be an easy win for me, but she didn't bite. And fuck Todd for betting against me."

"She's still new. When she realizes that she won't be able to make ends meet working for points, she'll reconsider," Simon assured him.

Watching Arat chatting with Miles and George and a few other saviors, Negan was struck by a brilliant idea.

"Arat," he called, motioning the group over.

"You all know the new girl, Haley, right?" he asked the group.

Most of them nodded with Arat adding, "Yeah, I've seen her jogging a few times in the morning."

"I want her guarding one of the east towers on night watch a few times a week," Negan informed them.

"But she's not a soldier," Miles argued.

"Since when did you start making the fucking rules?" Negan barked.

Miles cast his eyes downward as Negan continued, "We're gonna make that run to Costco, which means the sanctuary will be short of soldiers while we're gone. She survived out there while keeping herself and a kid alive for who knows how long. I think she's fucking capable of sitting in a tower with a pair of binoculars. Anyway, I want you to teach her the ropes but give her a hard time. Some good old fashioned hazing," he suggested.

"She works in the gardens though, doesn't she," Laura pointed out.

"Yeah, she does, and now she's fucking pulling double duty," Negan replied, getting irritated at being challenged.

"You got it, boss," Arat assured him before leading the group out of the room. Negan appreciated Arat's ability to take commands without question.

"Ya gonna smoke her out?" Simon asked.

"She'll be overworked and exhausted. Plus, eventually she'll get tired of dealing with these assholes and who will be waiting with arms wide open to welcome her? Her loving husband, Negan, that's who," he explained breaking into a full dimpled grin.

"That is genius and fucked up all at the same time, but at least I'll recoup my whiskey from Todd," Simon laughed.

Negan joined him in laughter, pleased that he was able to solve at least one of his dilemmas.


	6. Chapter 6

Flashback (before apocalypse)

Bolshoi Ballet Theatre

Moscow, Russia:

Haley rested her ankle on top of the barre as she listened to the ballet master call out stretches for his dancers. She had just landed the coveted role of the black swan and was now enduring the punishing schedule that came with preparing for opening night. She let her leg drop and replaced it with the opposite one as she contemplated being the youngest dancer in the company. She was overwhelmed with a variety of emotions: elation, anxiety, stress, determination.

She was attending a university in Russia in accordance with her father's wishes that she go to college, but ballet was her true passion, and Bolshoi was the foremost ballet company in the world. She'd had to relocate her life halfway across the world and learn an entirely new language to make her dreams come true, but she considered it a small price to pay to dance.

"Before we break off into practice groups, I need to see Haley James and Ana Meldov," Victor, their ballet master called.

Sitting in Victor's office, Haley took a few deep breaths trying to calm her nerves.

"Haley, let's talk about your footwork. Let's be more expressive with your feet. You exude sex appeal in the way you carry yourself, which is part of the reason you won the part of the black swan, but I want you to give me a bit more fragility. Glide like a swan over water," he said flowing his outstretched hands over the air in a smooth motion.

Haley nodded.

"And let's talk physical appearance and the way we want to present our main dancers to the audience. You are the foil of the white swan, but Ana is a bit more petite than you, yes? Two inches shorter and I believe and five pounds lighter. Let's try to get rid of that five pound difference, okay?"

Haley nodded again.

"That's a good girl," he smiled.

Making her way back to the studio, Haley glanced at her rail thin frame in the floor to ceiling mirrors, idly wondering how she was going to cut the calories needed to lose five pounds while already adhering to a very strict diet and grueling dance regime.

" _I've made it this far. I can do this_ ," she reminded herself.

* * *

Present Day Apocalypse:

Haley downed a cup of instant coffee in just a few gulps. It tasted terrible, but she had guard duty tonight, a new responsibility given to her a couple weeks ago. Doubling up her workload had left her beyond exhausted, but Arat was carrying out Negan's orders. Haley hadn't seen Negan much since she had turned down his proposal. She didn't even know if he was here at the sanctuary or not, not that it mattered; it's not as if she could go barging up to his room and demand he ease up on her. This was life at the sanctuary, and it's the best she could do for herself and Beck right now.

As Haley got to the top of the ladder in the watchmen's post, she noticed the chair that usually sat there was gone.

"Hey, what happened to the chair?" she called out to Laura who was headed towards the cafeteria.

Laura just shrugged, feigning ignorance.

This was just one of many annoying incidents that had occurred over the last week. Haley didn't know if this was some rite of passage for new residents of the sanctuary, but it was wearing on her nerves quickly.

"Awesome, because after working for eight hours, I'd love nothing more than to stand guard for another eight," she said to no one in particular.

The list of stressful things that ran on a loop in Haley's mind came out in full force during these watches with nothing to keep these thoughts at bay. What would happen when she and Beck finished off the MREs they had hidden in the ceiling of their room? Could she sneak out again? Even if she could, their stash at the theatre would run dry and sooner rather than later. What if Beck got hurt or sick? They definitely didn't have the points for medical care. Would she be forced to become one of Negan's wives? And the worst thought of all that always seem to rear its ugly head despite her many attempts to keep a lid on it: What would happen when Cole found them?

All other problems paled in comparison to this. Haley's mind conjured up solutions and contingency plans for every dilemma she could imagine except for the Cole confrontation. It's like her mind simultaneously froze up and went haywire just at the thought of the domineering dictator.

Shifting her thoughts away from her uncertain future, Haley thought of the positive that had come since arriving at the sanctuary. They had several kids here around Beck's age who he had made friends with, and he played baseball almost everyday with said kids. He never went hungry and he was safe from walkers and humans alike. Chloe was also a bright spot in her life. She was bubbly and hilarious, and Haley had forgotten what it was like to have a friend – someone you could do a whole bunch of nothing with and still have an amazing time. Overall, this was the happiest she'd seen Beck in months, so she allowed herself to revel in these small victories.

Haley had daydreamed her way through her guard shift and was eager to get to the cafeteria to grab a quick meal so she could get a few hours of sleep only to wake up and repeat the cycle.

One good thing about eating dinner in the middle of the night was that there was never a long line. Haley walked up to the table with plates of food that were being distributed by Tony, the head cook at the sanctuary. As she reached out for a plate, Tony intervened, "Sorry, Haley. I'm under orders not to give you food."

"Are you serious?" Haley asked incredulously.

"I really am sorry," he answered with his head lowered in shame.

" _Was this some kind of test the other saviors were putting her through? Did Negan give the order_?" she wondered.

Storming out of the cafeteria, she brushed past Fat Joey.

"Here," he said handing her a granola bar. "You need it more than I do."

"Thanks, Joey," she said, accepting it and making her way towards her room. Throwing herself on her bed, she shut her eyes, too exhausted to over analyze this latest development.

* * *

It had been a week since she was denied food from the cafeteria, and she'd soon learned that Beck had been refused as well. They were now both relying on the MREs, which were depleting faster than Haley had intended. She was now restricting her own meals more than ever in an attempt to prolong their stash. The disgusting instant coffee had become her new best friend. She knew from her ballet days that she could consume copious amounts of the stuff, and though it had few calories, it would give her the energy boost she needed.

Browsing through the marketplace, she kept an eye out for non perishable food items. They could ban her from the cafeteria, but they couldn't stop her from using her points to buy food. Grabbing a few instant coffee packets, some goldfish crackers, and several small bags of pretzels, she laid them on the counter and waited to pay for her items.

"You can't afford this," Todd informed her.

"There's no way. I haven't used any points in over a week," she replied in disbelief.

"My records show that you don't have any points. I can double check," he continued.

"Are you screwing with me? First, I'm not allowed to have food from the cafeteria. Now I have no points. I genuinely don't know if you're just fucking with me or not," she replied getting more frustrated with each passing moment.

"What do you mean you're not allowed to have food from the cafeteria? Of course you are. The cafeteria is open to anyone who has the points to eat there; that's the rules," he stated matter of factly.

"Whatever," she huffed before she barged out of there shoving past a man mumbling to himself in Russian.

"No one here has any consideration. The rudest people I've met in all my life," he called after her in a loud voice, speaking in his native tongue.

"Fuck off," she called back in Russian.

The man's face went from angry to elated in a split second. He hurried after her calling, "Wait! Wait!"

"You speak my language?!" he inquired.

"Obviously," she responded.

"Stop!" he demanded struggling to keep up with her in the crowded marketplace.

She turned on her heel coming face to face with the Russian man. "What do you want?" she barked at him in no mood to deal with anyone's shit right now.

"It's just – I've been here for almost a year with no one to talk to. I speak very little English. You're like a godsend. How do I say this in English?" he asked holding up a sock.

Rolling her eyes, she turned to leave this place frustrated at her predicament. She had no time for trivial things like English lessons when she was on the brink of starvation and exhaustion.

"Wait! I can buy you those pretzels if you teach me English," he insisted.

This got her attention.

"You buy me everything I put on that counter, and you have a deal," she told him.

* * *

Walking back to the main building with Vanya, her new Russian student in tow, Haley would point out random objects and say them in Russian and then in English.

"How did you end up in America during the apocalypse, Vanya?" she questioned him.

"I'm an engineer, and I was working on a project with a university in Virginia. I got stuck here when the virus started, and you know how the rest goes. I've been drawing diagrams trying to show these people that we can use the dam in that river to produce our own electricity, no fossil fuels needed."

Haley laughed at the irony that they'd been living in these conditions when the solution had been right under their noses the whole time.

"What about running water?" she inquired.

"We can have that too," he assured.

Storing that useful information away for later, she bid Vanya farewell with promises of future language lessons.

* * *

Opening the door to her room, Haley found a strawberry blonde woman sitting on the bed at the far end of the room toweling her damp hair. She gave a small wave and introduced herself as Paula. Haley learned that she was a lieutenant and that she'd been stationed at one of the outposts for the past few weeks. She was only back at the sanctuary for a few days before she returned to her outpost.

"Gross, I didn't think anyone actually drank that stuff," she commented as she saw Haley mixing her coffee.

"Yeah, it's terrible, but I'm banned from the cafeteria, and all my points have been taken away."

"Damn, who did you piss off?"

"Your guess is as good as mine."

"You're pretty," Paula noted. "I'm surprised Negan has tapped you as one of his girls yet."

"He asked. I declined."

"Most girls would've taken the easy way," Paula noted giving Haley a look that resembled something akin to respect.

"Don't be too impressed," Haley countered. "Everyday it's looking more and more like I'm going to have to give in."

"Don't give in to Negan," Paula advised. "In some fucked up way, he respects resistance. I was in your shoes when I first got here. Of course, I didn't have the offer of being one of his wives so I relied on my smarts," she said pointing to her head. "I came up with the idea of outposts. Negan liked it and promoted me, and here I am," she said gesturing towards all of her belonging in her small corner of the room. "Give Negan something he wants, and he'll promote you."

"I've only got one thing Negan wants," Haley countered making them both laugh.

"Get creative. Besides, nothing's worth giving up your freedom," Paula added.

" _There's at least one thing worth giving up my freedom for_ ," Haley thought glancing at the baseball glove lying on Beck's bed.

* * *

Haley threw her hair up into a messy bun and changed out of her shorts into jeans before making her way down to the cafeteria. She had been instructed to stand and guard the saviors table while they collected their dinner, just another one of the many digs they had thrown her way the past few weeks.

Haley hadn't been down to the cafeteria in a while, and she had forgotten how crowded and noisy the place could get at meal times. The room buzzed with excited chatter and the sounds of utensils scraping against plates, and the smell of a home cooked meal wafted in the air. Despite being starving, Haley found the sound soothing, a comfort that at least she was surrounded by the living and not the undead.

She was running on fumes at this point. There were times where just the simple act of walking would cause her vision to start to blur and she'd have to brace herself against a wall for fear of passing out. She'd avoided going back to her room unless completely necessary since climbing that many stairs was a monumental task in her malnourished state.

Haley leaned up against one of the tables she was watching, thankful for the reprieve of having to hold up her own body weight, even if it was just for a minute.

She leaned her head up searching the upper deck area of the cafeteria for anyone she knew. It was then that she spotted Negan engaged in conversation with Simon, the two men laughing at something. It was the first time she'd seen him in weeks. Staring just a second too long, Negan's eyes roved over to hers and they made eye contact, his dark smoldering eyes boring into her own bright blue eyes. Haley dropped her eyes immediately and turned her back to where he and Simon were standing, desperately wishing the saviors would come claim their table so she could make her escape.

"Haley!" Negan bellowed from his perch across the room.

" _Of course I can't catch a fucking break_ ," she thought as she turned to face him. He winked and motioned for her to join him on the metal walkway.

Haley trekked across the large room before climbing the stairs, which she may as well have been climbing Mt. Everest for all the effort it took. She went slowly, taking each step carefully while leaning as much of her body weight against the railing as possible.

"You look fucking terrible," Negan greeted her with a smile.

She ignored him, choosing instead to focus on a rusty window across the room.

"Miss me?" he asked.

"Sure," she deadpanned as she reached a shaky hand out to grab the railing to steady herself.

Negan noticed her shaking hands and limp form.

"You don't need to be scared of little old me, doll," he taunted.

"This isn't fear. It's starvation," she said wryly.

"Then why are you standing around a table of these assholes," he gestured below to the saviors, "instead of eating like everyone else?"

"You know why."

"Oh, do I? Then please fucking enlighten me to this knowledge I supposedly have."

"I've been banned from the cafeteria, and all my points have been taken away," she informed him.

Negan's eyebrows shot up. "Oh really now?"

Growing tired of whatever bullying tactic this was, Haley said, "I have watch tonight, so if you don't mind, I'm gonna go now," she said taking a step towards second floor door that would lead her towards the west watch area.

"Actually, I do fucking mind, so you ju-"

But that was all Haley heard. Suddenly, all at once, weeks of living on coffee and half eaten granola bars had caught up to her. Negan's voice sounded distorted and far away. Black spots clouded her vision, and she felt herself free falling towards the large metal handle on the door.


	7. Chapter 7

Negan watched as Haley swayed on unsteady legs before she collapsed, her head smashing into the metal door handle on her way down, causing a terrible cracking sound as skull collided with metal.

"Fucking damn it," Negan said handing the paper he was holding to Simon before gathering Haley up into his arms, heading straight for the makeshift infirmary. She felt like she weighed no more than the piece of paper he was just holding a moment ago.

"What do we got?" Primo asked when Negan barged into the room with the unconscious brunette in his arms.

"I don't fucking know," Negan barked as he laid her unconscious form on an exam table. "I was talking to her one minute, and then the next she was out cold."

"Sweet Jesus," Primo remarked wrapping his fingers around her upper arm where his fingers almost encircled it completely. "This chick is like a walking skeleton. Don't need a brain surgeon to tell you that she collapsed due to starvation and probably exhaustion."

"She hit her head in the fall," Negan said.

"I'll check for a concussion," Primo assured him.

"Don't worry about the points for the medical care," Negan instructed him as he strode out of the medical building. "I'll take care of it."

* * *

Negan stalked his way towards his room, his long legs making great strides. Seeing Fat Joey standing at the foot of the stairs, he barked out, "Go get me Arat and her whole fucking night crew. Tell 'em to report to me immediately."

Negan sat in the savior's common area behind his desk and poured himself a glass of bourbon when his evening crew saviors walked through the door with worried looks on their faces. They already knew the reason they were summoned having witnessed the collapsing episode.

"What the fuck is wrong with all of you?" he snapped at them. "I said hazing not nearly kill."

Arat was the first to speak up, "Negan, to my knowledge we kept it clean. Pulled a few pranks, nothing more."

He actually believed Arat. She was extremely loyal and never had any problems following commands, a good soldier through and through.

"Who the fuck revoked all of her points?" he demanded.

It was silent for a minute before Laura piped up, "That was me. I was gonna have the points put back. It was just supposed to be a joke."

Negan angrily stared Laura down, his eyes were black coals as he tried to think of a suitable punishment.

"You're off the savior system for two weeks. You'll earn points like every other grunt around her during that time," he decided. Laura clenched her jaw in anger but didn't say anything more.

"Who had the brilliant idea to ban her from the cafeteria?"

The small group just sat in silence staring around the room.

Negan pounded the desk. "No fucking one is gonna own up to it?"

"Honestly, Negan, we didn't do that. We did some light hazing – hiding the binoculars, swiping the lookout chair, having her stand watch at the table – just stupid shit. We didn't take it that far," Miles offered.

"And you're one who asked us to do this shit anyway," George said adding in his two cents.

"Fuck you, Georgie boy. No one asked for comments from the peanut gallery," he raged. "Leave," he demanded pointing towards the door. "And you're off of patrol duty."

"Until when?" George huffed as he shuffled towards the exit.

"Until I fucking say so!" Negan bellowed.

"I wanna know who banned Haley from the cafeteria," Negan said eyeing them for clues in their body language, but each savior sat stock-still and silent.

Clearing her throats, Arat suggested, "It wasn't any of us, but we can find out who it was."

The admonished saviors sat in silence with their angry leader before he barked out, "Fine. You're all dismissed."

"Can't anyone around here get shit done right?" he barked to the empty room, pissed that his plan to sway the stubborn brunette to him had backfired.

* * *

Negan walked out towards the basketball courts scrutinizing every part of his sanctuary that he could see. The western fences needed to be patched again, and he surveyed the dirt and grime covered windows of the factory buildings that prevented sunshine from seeping through them. He watched a group of kids playing baseball and stopped mid-stride with a self-satisfied smile that his hard work made this scene even possible. Beckett was up to bat, but the kid pitching was terrible. Beck was yelling tips to the kid standing on the mound but to no avail.

Negan strode over to their little amateur baseball diamond and took the ball from the kid.

"Go play outfield, kid," he ordered.

"Where's outfield," the kid asked.

Rolling his eyes, Negan pointed to a spot farther out from the immediate diamond.

"You ready?" he asked Beck, who nodded in response.

Negan eyed him for a moment before pitching a slider, relishing in how good it felt to do something beside bark out orders and crack skulls.

Beck didn't hesitate, hitting the ball far over Negan's head into left field.

"Damn, not bad," Negan said impressed.

Negan played pitcher in the kid's baseball game, critiquing each player on their stance and style of batting, throwing out different kinds of pitches for each of them to hit. They had started to draw a crowd, random people just stopping to enjoy the game. Baseball was America's favorite pastime, afterall. But soon the fun was disrupted when kids started being called to dinner and bath time until the only two remaining were Negan and Beck.

"You hungry, kid?" Negan asked.

"I, uh, I should find Haley," Beck responded.

"I've got her working on a project for me," Negan told him not wanting to alarm the kid to his sister's current situation. "Come on, slugger, you'll have dinner with me," he said wrapping his hand around the back of Beck's neck, leaving the kid no room for argument.

* * *

Negan had never seen someone eat a peanut butter and jelly sandwich so fast.

"Haley would freak if should knew there was peanut butter here. It's her favorite food," Beck said as he licked his fingers.

"Oh yeah?" Negan responded. "What did Haley do before all of this?" he asked taking the opportunity to pry information out of an unsuspecting kid.

But Beck wasn't taking the bait. He held his cards close to the chest in the same manner as his sister. Hesitantly, in almost a questioning tone like he wasn't sure if he was saying the right thing, he responded, "She was a ballerina."

" _Hmm_ ," Negan thought to himself, not expecting that response. But he thought back on Haley's graceful movements and her lithe, thin frame, and the pieces fit. Still, the kid's hesitancy made him suspicious, and why would she want to hide that?

"How old are the two of you?" Negan continued his inquiry.

"We were ten and twenty-three when the end started. Haley says I'm probably twelve or thirteen now."

"Damn, you're a fucking teenage giant. What are you 5'7?" Negan observed.

Shrugging, Beck admitted, "I was always taller than most kids in my class."

"I know all about being the tall kid. Don't worry, you'll grow out of the awkward stage and then every pair of tits around here will be throwing themselves at you. Ladies love tall men," Negan smirked.

Beck laughed, having never been talked to this way by an actual adult.

"Played baseball when the world still existed?"

"Yeah, ever since I was little. Played a little basketball for a couple seasons, but my Dad said I had to choose one, and I chose baseball."

"Fuck that, you can play both here. I'll teach you everything you need to know about basketball. Round up your buddies and we'll start a team."

"Okay," Beck agreed enthusiastically.

"Speaking of parents, where are yours?"

"My Dad died pretty early after everything started. We were heading towards a secret military base in Virginia, and we got surrounded by walkers."

"How'd you know about the base?"

"Dad's in the military. Marines," Beck clarified.

" _He must've been high ranking to have information about secret bases_ ," Negan mused. "What about your mom?"

"I don't know who she is. She left when I was a baby."

"So your mom just abandoned you and Haley?"

"Haley has a different mom," Beck corrected. "She died when Haley was little."

"So you grew up with your Dad and Haley in Florida?" Negan pressed further.

"I didn't tell you we lived in Florida," Beck countered.

"Haley did," Negan grinned. "Damn, kid, let your fucking guard down."

"I went to a boarding school in Maine starting when I was seven. Haley was never really around anyway. She left for college by the time I was even old enough to remember her."

"Who the fuck sends their seven year old to a boarding school?"

"It wasn't that bad. They had a good baseball team."

"How did the two of you end up with Cole?" he pressed further.

"Haley said we can't talk about Cole," Beck said shifting his gaze from Negan to one of the grime covered windows.

"I give you fucking shelter and feed you, and you think you can't trust me? I'm fucking insulted," Negan teased, grinning broadly.

"Haley said we can't trust anyone."

"Yeah, yeah, Haley says," Negan drawled as he stood up clearing the table of both plates. "Get to bed, kid. Your sister will be up in the morning."

Before closing the door behind him, Beck turned and asked, "Will you still teach me how to play basketball even though I won't tell you about Cole?"

Negan gave him a once over before nodding, "Tomorrow night, meet me on the courts."


	8. Chapter 8

"I'm just going to be a floor down if you need me," Haley told Beck as he finished eating one of the precious few MREs they had left.

"It's cool," he assured her. "I'm going down to play basketball wth Negan after I'm done."

Haley huffed in annoyance but said nothing further. She didn't want Beck around Negan if it could be helped, but he seemed to be enjoying his time being coached by the savior, so she bit her tongue.

"Bye, Beck!" Chloe called as they exited the room. They were having a girl's night in Chloe's room, and truth be told, Haley was nervous about being around the other wives.

As they rounded the corner to wives' quarters, they almost literally ran into Negan.

"Well, hello ladies," he greeted them with a broad grin swinging Lucille over his shoulder. "How's the head?" he asked Haley reaching his gloved hand around to gently grasp the side of her head in his hand, rubbing his leather clad thumb across her cheek.

"Better, thanks," Haley said.

"Back on track with your points?" he inquired.

"Actually, I wanted to talk to you about that," Haley said, unsure if now was the time to broach the subject but not knowing when she'd get another opportunity.

"Well, then let's step into my office, babydoll," he said sliding his tongue between his teeth.

"Ugh, seriously?" Chloe interrupted. "We're having a girls night, Negan."

"This will just take a minute," Haley promised.

"Oh, sweetheart, this is going to take a lot longer than just a minute even if I did just blow my load. Several times," he winked as he trailed his lecherous gaze down her body.

Rolling her eyes, Haley assured Chloe, "I'll be right back."

* * *

"So, doll, what is it I can do for you?" Negan asked as he sat behind his desk, stretching out his long legs as he laid them on top of the work surface.

"I can give you something you want, but I want something in return," Haley informed him getting straight to the point.

"Oh well, now you've got my attention," Negan said leaning forward in his chair and putting his feet on the ground.

"No sex will be involved," she stated bluntly.

"We'll see about that," he grinned showing his dimples.

Haley really wanted to be repulsed by him, but she found herself being charmed by him and his panty dropping smirk.

"I can get you electricity and running water," she stated before his flirtatious banter sidetracked her.

He sat back in his chair having been thrown off his skirt chasing routine for the moment.

"Gotta say, I wasn't expecting that," he told her as he stroked his beard. "Tell me how."

"So, from what I can tell from this area, you have the factories area, which is where we currently live, and beyond that wooded area, you have the much nicer area with the newer buildings."

He nodded, and she was thankful that he didn't ask how she knew what was beyond the wooded area.

"Whoever built that area has wired this whole place to be on the same power grid and water line. A dam in the river provides the power needed to generate electricity for us, and a few miles from here is a sewage treatment facility where all the waste flows," Haley concluded.

Negan sat there in silence, thinking through everything she had said before asking, "You an engineer?"

"Seriously? I just tell you that you will be able to take an actual shower probably for the first time in years, and that's your response?" she asked him incredulously.

"Are you?" he asked again unfazed.

"No," she replied.

"How do you know about the workings of the sanctuary's infrastructure?"

"I just know things."

He studied her in that unnerving way he so often did, like she was a puzzle he was trying to solve. It made Haley feel exposed so she broke eye contact with him.

"What do you want in return?" he asked.

"I need a better paying job. We both know I'll never never be able to keep myself and my brother afloat on the points I'm making now."

"I made you a better offer," he countered.

Inhaling deeply as she tried to find a delicate way to negotiate with the intimidating man currently trapping her in his steely gaze, she replied, "With all due respect, I did not consider that a better offer."

"Just so we're clear, you consider a proposal of food, shelter, and safety unworthy of you? Because I know you've been living out there for God knows how long, and, sweetheart, you must fucking know those are the only things of value any more," he argued.

"Your proposal was not worthy of me. I'm not yours or anyone else's fuck toy," she shot back at him. "Instead I am proposing a counter offer. You provide your people with a basic human need. They'll praise you for it, and I get the points I need to survive here. This is a mutually beneficial offer; that's how negotiations work," she said attempting to reel in the animosity she was feeling.

"I don't negotiate. I take what I want."

"You do negotiate. You tried to negotiate a contract with me – food for sex. Anyway, what are you gonna do? Beat the information out of me? Torture me? Kill me? Fine. But you'll still be stuck here living in squalor, only with one less person to help run your sanctuary, a person who actually has something to offer. Because that's what you really want, isn't it? To rebuild, to create something worth living for in this shitty world."

Haley felt like she was being crushed under Negan's glare, but she maintained eye contact. She knew she couldn't back down. She desperately needed this to work.

After several tense moments, he finally spoke, "I can make you a savior. You won't live on the point system, but you will be expected to go on runs and follow my orders, no fucking questions asked."

"Deal," she responded without hesitation.

"I'll have your room moved up to this floor. We're going on a run tomorrow. Be ready at dawn," he ordered.

Haley nodded and added, "We can start working on getting the power and water up and running tomorrow. You'll need Vanya to take lead," she informed Negan.

"The fucking Russian guy? He doesn't even speak English," he scoffed.

"I know. I've translated his diagrams and instructions. It should be fairly easy for anyone with electrical experience to figure it out."

"You fucking speak Russian?" he asked in disbelief. "It's not what I would've expected from a girl like you."

"A girl like me? There are no girls like me," she said as she made to leave his quarters.

"Don't I fucking know it," he responded with a small chuckle.

* * *

"Aaahhh! Hot showers! Air conditioning! I cannot wait! Does this mean you'll have more time to hang out with me? Because let's get real, that's all that really matters," Chloe chatted excitedly when Haley made it back down to the wives' quarters and relayed the news of her promotion to her friend.

"I think so. I'm not really sure what the saviors' schedule is like," Haley said.

"I think it's erratic. They go on runs randomly. Sometimes Simon is here everyday for weeks, and other times he's gone for days. It just depends," Chloe informed her.

"So you still have a thing for Simon, huh?" Haley teased.

"Big time. We still have our stolen moments with Negan's permission obviously. He's pretty lax about it probably because Simon is his right hand man."

"Can you divorce Negan? I mean, is that even allowed?" Haley asked.

"Yes, you can, but you have to go back to earning points and surviving on meager rations. I was hoping that Simon would give me some sort of sign that he would take care of me so I could leave Negan, but he's dropped hints that he doesn't want to be, in his words, 'some broad's suggar daddy.' And I totally get it. We're in this weird situation where I'm only with Negan for the things he can provide me, but I actually care about Simon. I'm not just using him, and I want him to know that. On the other hand, what if Simon decides he doesn't want to be with me and now I've divorced Negan? I'm screwed. I've gotta look out for myself, ya know? It's not like anywhere around here gives a shit about what happens to me, girl's gotta be her own hero sometimes," she ranted.

"I give a shit about you," Haley said as she perused Chloe's makeup collection. "Oh my gosh, you have the Illuminating highlighter and bronzer pallete?" Haley exclaimed.

"I have three," Chloe responded excitedly as she handed one to Haley. "Here, have one. I always put it on the list during runs, but it's mostly guys out there and they have no idea what they're looking for."

"I'm going on a run with them tomorrow. Give me your list," Haley offered.

"This is why we're besties," Chloe informed her. "We have a mutual appreciation of all the same things – cashmere cardigans, biker boots, silk infused shampoo – you know, the important things. Just because the world ended is no reason for having split ends," Chloe said causing them both to erupt into laughter.

"Speaking of appreciating the finer things, do you know anything about that guy Lucas?" Haley inquired.

Chloe gave her a knowing look as she continued folding her laundry. "You mean the hunky blond that could pass as a Hemsworth brother? Whatcha wanna know?"

"I don't know, we had a moment that night at the basketball game, and I've caught him staring my way a few times, but he's never approached me. I keep waiting for him to make a move. Is he single?"

"He's very single. I told you that he used to be with Frankie, right?" Chloe asked, to which Haley nodded. "He's had a few dalliances with random girls around the sanctuary but nothing serious. He's one of Negan's inner circle of saviors. He might be waiting to make his move until he gets the okay from Negan since Negan did try to claim you and all," Chloe clarified. "Oh! You know what?!" she rambled excitedly. "He plays basketball with the saviors tonight. We should go watch. Here," Chloe threw a low cut, scoop neck tee and sandals to Haley. "Wear something semi-slutty. If your boobs don't attract his attention, he's asexual," she declared.

* * *

Twenty minutes later, after a wardrobe change and a light dusting of makeup, Haley and Chloe sat on a bench outside of the basketball court. A group of saviors, including Lucas, were playing on one side of the court, while Negan, Simon, and a small crew of kids were shooting hoops on the other side.

When Negan spotted the girls taking their seats, he dismissed his basketball class and joined the saviors in a pickup game.

Haley and Chloe gossiped through the first half of the game, Haley sneaking glances of the tall blond man every so often.

"Here, bring him this bottle of water when they take their break. Get to him before she does," Chloe instructed pointing out a petite, blonde girl balancing cups on a tray.

The whistle blew signaling the game break, and Haley made a beeline for Lucas.

"I brought you water," Haley said handing the bottle over to Lucas as she ran a hand nervously through her hair. She was trying to be flirtatious but not overly so.

Lucas broke out into a wide grin, "Thank you," he said as he took a long sip. "I hear you're going on a run with us tomorrow," he said sitting down on a picnic bench as he drew Haley to stand between his legs. Haley felt that initial jolt of excitement at being in such close proximity to the guy she was crushing on.

"I hear the same," she told him as she wiped the sweat from his brow.

"I'm looking forward to it," he smiled as he rested his hands on her hips.

* * *

Negan watched their interaction unfold from across the court. It irritated him, but he couldn't quite put his finger on why. " _Probably just seeing someone succeed where I failed_ ," he told himself. Still, watching Lucas put his hands on Haley was like watching someone throw mud all over white linen sheets, and it was seriously pissing him off.


End file.
